Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-26
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Some people say that in the digital age, theatres and cinemas are no longer important as people can watch all the entertainment they want online. Others argue that theatres and cinemas are still important both economically and culturally.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
In recent years, there has been a growing debate about people saying theatres and cinemas are no longer needed for people as they all can watch it online. In my opinion, I believe that both theatres and cinemas are still equally important both economically and culturally.
On the one hand, going to theatres or cinemas in the digital age can be frustrating for some people. This is because some individuals are not interested in waiting in huge queues and some people find it unpleasant to watch a movie with a group of strangers. For example, families with kids cannot sit in cinemas for a long time as the child will get disturbed by the heavy noise. Furthermore, some people prefer pausing movies in between so that they can watch later whenever they are free.
On the other hand, watching movies in theatres or cinemas is still important to people as it gives the best experience. This means that there are specific movies that can only be watched in cinemas. For instance, movies shot in particular cameras can only be experienced fully in theatres. They cannot be experienced at home. Additionally, some people prefer watching movies on big screens. This is because if they watch on mobiles or TV, they will not experience the visual quality and audio effects.
To conclude, while some people say that watching movies online is much better than watching them on big screens, in my opinion, I personally believe that theatres and cinemas are still important both economically and culturally.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views on theatres and cinemas in the digital age, and presents a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. However, the development of ideas remains somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the second body paragraph argues that cinemas give 'the best experience' and mentions 'specific movies shot in particular cameras,' but this point lacks concrete elaboration or a specific example. Similarly, the conclusion repeats the phrase 'both economically and culturally' without actually having discussed the economic or cultural aspects in the body paragraphs, as the text focuses entirely on experiential and practical factors. This means the task response is partially unsupported in certain claims, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure, utilising standard transitional markers such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude'. Information and ideas are logically sequenced, moving from digital age frustrations to the unique benefits of big screens. However, cohesion at the sentence level is occasionally mechanical or repetitive, particularly with the frequent use of 'some people' and 'this is because'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, but referencing could be smoother to avoid repetitive phrasing. Overall, the organizational structure satisfies the requirements for Band 6.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating ideas related to entertainment and technology, such as 'frustrating', 'visual quality', and 'audio effects'. There are attempts at less common vocabulary, but word choice is sometimes simplistic or imprecise, as seen in phrases like 'movies shot in particular cameras' instead of 'shot on specialized equipment'. Additionally, the repetition of basic adjectives and phrasing ('some people', 'watch movies') limits the lexical score. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and errors do not impede communication, placing the response solidly at Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The writer attempts complex structures using subordinate clauses, such as 'This is because some individuals are not interested in waiting...' and '...so that they can watch later whenever they are free.' There are some grammatical slips and awkward phrasings, such as 'about people saying theatres and cinemas are no longer needed for people' and 'pause movies in between'. However, these errors do not impede communication, and punctuation is generally handled correctly throughout the text. The control over grammar matches the Band 6 criteria.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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